Economic Development
Growing Ward with Purpose
Economic development isn’t simply about bringing more businesses to Ward—it’s about bringing the right businesses to Ward.
As our community continues to grow, we should be actively identifying the services our residents need and the dollars they are currently spending outside our city. My goal is to take a more intentional approach to economic development by recruiting businesses that improve our quality of life, strengthen our tax base, create jobs, and keep more of our residents’ spending right here at home.
Recruiting the Businesses Ward Needs
I want Ward to actively pursue businesses and services that our growing community can support, including:
An urgent care or medical clinic
A true grocery store, such as a Walmart Neighborhood Market or similar retailer
A pharmacy
Additional family-friendly restaurants
Small retail and service businesses that meet everyday needs
Rather than simply waiting for businesses to discover Ward, I believe we should be prepared to tell Ward’s story—our population growth, new housing, traffic patterns, available properties, surrounding customer base, and the opportunities that exist here.
Creating a Path from Food Truck to Storefront
Not every new business needs to begin with a building.
I would like to explore creating a designated food truck court or gathering space where several food trucks could operate regularly. This could give residents more dining choices while giving entrepreneurs an opportunity to build a loyal customer base without immediately taking on the expense of a permanent location.
The bigger goal is to create a pathway:
Food Truck → Loyal Customer Base → Brick & Mortar Restaurant → Local Jobs & Investment
If a business proves that Ward can support it, I want our city to help connect that entrepreneur with available commercial property and resources that could help them take the next step.
Turning Vacant Buildings into Opportunities
We also have existing commercial buildings and properties that are sitting vacant or underutilized.
Instead of accepting those properties as permanent empty spaces, I want to begin conversations with property owners.
Are they interested in selling?
Would they like to lease the property?
What has prevented the property from being redeveloped?
Could the city help connect them with potential businesses, investors, development resources, or planning assistance?
The city cannot—and should not—run private businesses. But we can become a better connector between property owners, entrepreneurs, developers, and organizations that provide small-business assistance.
Building an Economic Development Inventory
One of my first goals would be to develop a working inventory of:
Available commercial buildings and land • Property owner interest • Potential development sites • Community needs • Traffic counts • Population and housing growth • Utility availability • Business recruitment opportunities
That gives us something concrete to put in front of a developer or business rather than simply saying, “We would love to have you in Ward.”
We should be able to show them why Ward makes sense.
Supporting the Businesses Already Here
Economic development also means taking care of the businesses that have already invested in Ward.
I want regular communication with our local business owners to understand what is working, what challenges they are facing, and what the city can reasonably do to make Ward a better place to operate a business.
Our existing businesses should be part of the conversation as we recruit new ones.
My Goal
I don't want Ward to lose its small-town identity. I want us to strengthen it.
That means thoughtful growth that provides the services our families need, creates opportunities for local entrepreneurs, puts vacant properties back into productive use, expands our tax base, and gives residents more reasons to live, shop, eat, work and invest right here in Ward.
Growth will come. My goal is to make sure we grow with purpose.